Speculative Evolution of cryptids and mythological creatures?

I think it can be accepted more likely than not most cryptids are not real (I've come to accept them more as mythological creatures than reality at this point) which is why I decided for fun and speculation to make this thread.

Based on the idea of the book Cryptozoologicon, a hypthoethical world that depicts cryptids and mythological creatures as real animals if they existed, what animals do you imagine cryptids would be if they existed as real animals? One that comes to my mind is Kasai Rex though that's already been proven to be a hoax.

I imagine the Kasai Rex being a large species of predatory monitor lizard similar to the megalania of Australia.

Potentially the largest species of lizard in the world part of the varanus family. Likely endangered due to habitat loss, poaching and exotic pet trading.

This also being the case for the Burrunjor as well, though such a species would've likely gone extinct in prehistoric times due to the overhunting and firestick farming techniques by the aboriginals. The reason Kasai Rex would survive is due to evolving in the same environment with humans which lead to Africa's megafauna's survival unlike other megafauna that evolved in an environment without them.

Like their Indonesian cousins the komodo dragons. "Kasai Rex" are voracious eaters that'll eat anything that moves.

From small animals such as birds, other reptiles like pythons and their smaller relatives like nile monitors, young and subadult nile crocodiles and small mammals such as aardvarks, baboons, monkeys, and hyraxes to large animals like rhinos, hippos, okapi, red river hogs, African forest buffalo, chimpanzees, gorillas, leopards and even humans.

Like komodo dragons, they are also cannibalistic of their own kind with larger adults preying on young individuals. Which is why when they first hatch, they stay up in trees until they're big enough to avoid larger adults but do have to still watch out for predators like leopards that will prey on them when they're still young.

They also tend to avoid healthy African forest elephants due to their size and the risk of death in biting them but will go after calves or individual adults that are either sick or very old.

They range throughout Central Africa but mostly in the Congo regions in both tropical and swamp forests and dry woodlands.